Content from the article “Can a 6-Hour Workday Work?” connects with the theme of working conditions and production in the Industrial Revolutions. The article proposes the theory that shorter workdays and better managed use of time (work intensely, take a short break, and repeat) may result in an increase in productivity and quality of work. Studies have shown that long and stressful stretches of difficult work result in various health and mental issues. According to the article, “one recent study estimated that stress in the workplace contributes to 120,000 deaths each year and as much as 8 percent of healthcare costs in the United States”. In the Industrial Revolution, working conditions were extremely harsh as there was so much work to be
A single aspect of McClelland’s experience illustrates the issue within warehouse operations. The workers are forced to work in a fast-paced, highly stressful environment with minimal to no social relief to break up the day. Long jaunts and short breaks lead to maximum levels of worker discomfort, but they have no choice but to keep going if they wish to keep their jobs. Always being on the move is unhealthy. The operators of the warehouse obviously disregard the health of their workers for the sake of saving a few
Miller, G. (2010, October 12). Twenty Something Finance . Retrieved April 12, 2011, from The U.S. is the Most Overworked Developed Nation in the World – When do we Draw the Line?: http://20somethingfinance.com/american-hours-worked-productivity-vacation/
Previous generations have a strong belief of keeping work and home life separate; that work is for work and home is for play (Rampell, 2011, para 21). Today’s professionals do not seem to abide by similar beliefs, constantly crossing the borders of one into the other. While many recognize this as an issue that could result in employees being less productive, it has actually resulted in them accepting that their work may run late into the evening or even into the weekend. I agree with this completely in that I grew up being taught that business is business and personal is personal; you leave your home life at the door. But now times have changed, and my weekends are no longer dedicated to my home life, but for work, because I attend classes during the week. Also, in my line of work in the Allied Health industry, it is a requirement to work off hours. Long gone are the days of working nine to five, Monday through Friday; technology and the demand of wanting affairs done and done as soon as possible, has made it so the “work week” is now 24-7. “Jon Della Volpe, the director of polling at Harvard Institute of Politics, said, ‘Some experts also believe that today’s young people are better at quickly switching from one task to another, given their exposure to so many stimuli during their childhood and adolescence’” (Rampbell,
In my opinion, this tragic experience of English workers can be attributed to that people had not yet detached from the old concept (feudalism). But it was the impact of industrialization which has broken the original balance, and stimulates consequently the working people, in after a long struggle and exploration, to really have the ability to protect themselves.
A liberal Member of Parliament and historian, Thomas B. Macaulay wrote in his “Southey’s Colloquies” that the people live longer because of better food, better lodged, better clothed, and better attended in sickness (Document 3). In the growth of Manchester, the national wealth increased because of the production of the manufacturing system. This resulted in positive reactions because there were improvements in the lives of people. A journal article written by William Alexander Abram explains how as the Hours of Labor in Factories Act was passed, the hours of labor have been reduced to ten hours per day. The article goes on to say that the wages have increased (Document 10). This shows a positive reaction to the Hours of Labor in Factories Act because this act treated the workers better. They were able to work less and get pay more. The article written by William Alexander Abram has the intention to show the improved conditions of the workers to have moved forward into a better quality of life. When Abram used the word “incredible” when talking about the reduction of sickness and mortality, it shows his amazement in how the conditions improved.
In the time of the Industrial Revolution factory owners were brutal and unfair to their employees. A young worker named William Cooper, was asked by a Sadler Committee, “ What were your usual hours of working? What time did you have for meals? What means were taken to keep you awake and attentive?” and he answered,
This source explains the relationship between working overtime and the work-family conflict. With this source, they “investigated whether work-family conflict is prospectively related to adjustments in work schedules… in this relation”. (Jansen) They also wanted to prevent work- family conflict. They also know that balancing work and family is a challenge in today’s society for individuals. Consequences associated with work and family “job burnouts, psychological distress, depression, life dissatisfaction, elevated need for recovery from work, prolonged fatigue, and increased sickness absence”. (Jansen) The companies are starting to notices that employees are looking for other jobs that support them balance their work and family. Jansen used questionnaires to figure out the work-family conflict investigation. Each questionnaire was use with different types of working people. For example, the part-time and full-time workers. The results for the work-family conflict, “employees might adjust their working time arrangement to better reconcile work and family life…” (Jansen) They are considering their next research on the adjustments to “result in an improved work-family balance, improved health outcomes, and ultimately whether these adjustments prevent workers from leaving the labor force early.” (Jansen)
Firstly, the hours workers were expected to work were outrageous. Employees had little time for family, eating, or sleeping. The factories overworked
How would you feel if your boss cut down your work paycheck just because he wanted a better life for them self? The men, women and children that worked in factories during the 18th and 19th centuries were brutally mistreated causing poverty, injuries and pallid body types (Thompson). At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, working was incredibly unsafe because there were absolutely no labor or safety laws. Working conditions back then were extremely different from those that are in place today. The unbearable working conditions caused a vast amount of labor laws and rights.
Many farmers and craftsmen left rural areas, and moved to cities to work as an industrial worker. While many farmers and craftsmen left rural areas the city 's population had doubled. There was also improved medical knowledge which lead to the conclusion that less people died during their childhood and the average length of life was much longer than in the past. When the new industrial life started, major changes came about for industrial workers. Most of the workers weren’t to pleased about the changes. The workers couldn’t do as they pleased, they had to abide by the policy of the factories and textiles. The new industrial workers had to work long hours, they also had to in work the same pace as the machine that they were operating. The longer hours and hard work made the workers suffer severely, the women and children suffered the
The key consideration for every people’s health demonstrates to life style of human. Health of an individual can be determined by different factors. It can be either social or economic. Regardless, due to growing population, there is also increase in number of people’s outcome with several complications of health problems during the working state. According to Gulmont(2006) most studies examining the association between work place psychological factor and blood pressure have been based on job strain model. A serious concern nowadays has been found that health problem is due to overload of work. Chapman et al and Fauves et al cites that there is more chances to get hypertension among men who have been working for 25 years or more and been contact to work strain. Furthermore, it depends upon people who work more than 40 hours a week. Many people are busy and do not have sufficient time to spend with family and to look afte...
In “Americans Are Overworked, but Still Surprisingly Happy on the Job,” Suzanne Lucas claims that an appropriate amount of work can make workers feel satisfied, but
Everyday, there are workers who come home from their jobs with a high amount of health issues. Headaches, aching muscles, exhaustion, and many more health issues have workers wondering why this is happening. All of these symptoms can be linked to stress in the workplace. Job stress has become more of a problem than ever before. Numerous studies show that job stress is the major source of stress for American adults and that it has escalated progressively over the past few decades (“Workplace Stress,” 2004). Stress has become more common and costly in the workplace not only for the workers, but also the companies. What is considered stress in the workplace? Many companies everyday are dealing with issues related to stress in the workplace. For example, the Blackpool Fylde and Wyre NSH Trust Foundation Hospital noticed there were issues with stress when people began calling out sick. Their consultant for occupational health began to see a pattern of worker stress that might be the case. With stress being such a big issue in the workplace, are there ways a company can decrease the amount of stress?
In Today’s world, the composition and how work is done has massively changed and is still continuing to change. Work is now more complex, more team base, depends greatly on technological and social skills and lastly more mobile and does not depend on geography. Companies are also opting for ways to help their employees perform their duties effectively so that huge profits are realized in the long term .The changes in the workplaces include Reduction in the structure of the hierarchy ,breakdown in the organization boundaries , improved and better management tactics and perspectives and lastly better workplace condition and health to the employees. (Frank Ackerman, Neva R. Goodwin, Laurie Dougherty, Kevin Gallagher, 2001)
Long working hours continue to be one of the largest health concerns in the world. Currently, the world population has become so busy due to the pressure from harsh economic conditions. People are therefore spending long working hours in the workplace, which is an aspect that has negative impact on their health conditions. Statistics from Working Condition Survey indicates that approximately 30% of workers residing in European Union believe that their health is at risk due to the hours they spent in the workplace (Gurung, 2010:16)